Mums should be celebrated every day: One husband’s perspective

My father would tell me that you should always celebrate your mother for all the great things she does, and not just on Mother’s Day. He was right, but I like that there is one day of the year where we highlight our mothers a little more.

I have been blessed to see how great mums are as a both a child, and as a father.

My mum is amazing (along with my dad)  and she did an outstanding job raising 8 children while working part time as a nurse and running a house hold. She raised her children with all of the love, support, encouragement and guidance anyone could give.

You know they had done an outstanding job when eight grown up children say they had the best childhood possible thanks to their parents.

Steve Dinneen with daughter

Mother’s Day took on a new chapter for me a few years ago when my wife Mel gave birth to our daughter Brooklyn. For the past two and a half years (or longer if you include pregnancy) I have witnessed the sacrifices, care, understanding, struggles and endless love a mother has for their child from a husband’s point of view.

Since becoming a mum, Mel has taken up running training and now does some coaching. She realised the importance of being fit and healthy so decided to do something about it. I know that to take up running as an adult is a big step because it is hard to know where to start, what to do next to progress, how to avoid injuries and getting bored.

I dare say this challenge to begin with may have been harder for Mel in some ways because of the fact that for years she has had state, national and Olympic athletes walking through our door before and after their runs and treatments.

Balancing the demands of being a new mum, her career, family and everything else life throws at you can be a struggle.

The hurdles that Mel has come up against to stay fit and healthy compared to me as a dad are so much greater. Mel has strived to make it work and I know why she has now moved into run coaching.

She not only sees the physical and health benefits of running, but the mental health benefits in exercising, getting fresh and achieving things you never thought possible.

Some of Mel’s tips to getting into running are:

• Build up slowly – finish your runs with enough in the tank so you can recover and run tomorrow. The goal is long term, not just today.
• Make every second run an easy recovery jog – run with a friend and chat. Enjoy it!
• Safety first – don’t take risks. Run in populated areas at popular times, run with friends, carry a phone, if you can’t hear because of headphones that could be an issue. Use a treadmill if you must or join a group to train with.
• Vary your sessions.
• If you are struggling with your running, progress, motivation or injuries – get some professional help to get you on the right path.
• Most of all acknowledge and appreciate what you have achieved. Any exercise is better than none.

The New Daily is a media partner of the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic, which takes place in 100 locations around Australia on Sunday May 14, raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation to help fund breast cancer research.